“Pioneering British-born conductor, harpsichordist, composer and scholar Raymond Leppard has died. He was 92 years old,” writes Anastasia Tsioulcas on Tuesday (10/22) at National Public Radio. “With full-bodied performances matched by pioneering scholarship, Leppard helped reintroduce audiences to 16th-century Italian masterpieces by composers including Claudio Monteverdi…. He championed—and wrote—contemporary works for both stage and screen. His death was announced by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, where he was Music Director and Conductor Laureate from 1987 to 2001…. In 1953, he made his professional debut at Wigmore Hall in London—conducting his own group, the Leppard Chamber Orchestra…. He also became closely associated with the English Chamber Orchestra, and served as principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic…. He composed the music for several films, including the 1963 adaptation of Lord of the Flies…. Leppard moved to the U.S. in 1976, and served as music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and as principal guest conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra between 1984 and 1990. He also appeared with … the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the BBC Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic… Leppard made some 200 recordings … including one of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ benchmark album Baroque Music for Trumpets.”
Posted October 23, 2019
